Cave Cat:
Yeah, he'll show up again some time in the future.
Gijinka Renamon:
I suggest you don't worry about those things and just enjoy yourself. [to camera] That goes for you all too.
Sorry couldn't resist ;)
Michael Barbera's murder of the banker will become vitally important later on. To find out more about the Dark Rings, reread that part in Stones of Doom where Gary attacks a Team Rocket base on Server, and the ending.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon. Some Digimon used in this fic belong to me. Some reviewers have contributed the following characters.
Metal Devidramon - Ninetalesuk
Skyemon - Gijinka Renamon
Socramon - Cavecat
By: RB3
Chapter 8: The Getaway
Beelzemon followed Flame Wizardmon on a Trailmon journey to the capital of the north-eastern Light Continent, Light City. This bustling metropolis was immaculate; a city straight out of heaven itself. Its buildings were made of pearly white marble and adorned with gleaming gold. The sky seemed to be perpetually clear, allowing the sun's rays to shine down on the city continuously. Many of the civilians were graceful Holy Digimon and a few were even angels.
The two Digimon continued on their way into the town, passing by a grand temple in the centre of town. This temple was made entirely out of marble and its doors had gold gilded onto the entrance's archway. On the gold were the engravings of the priests' blessing written in Digital syllabary. The temple was the most beautiful building in the entire city. Beelzemon was not too found of it or the rest of the city, as he was a Digimon of darkness. The only reason he was here was for business.
Flame Wizardmon led the drifter into a shop that specialized in magic and other mystical fields of study. The shop was lined with shelves filled with books and tomes dedicated to the esoteric art of magic. The owner, a Wizardmon, led Beelzemon into the basement were a dark wizard and other Wizardmon waited from them. This wizard was clothed in brown robes and a yellow hood. The darkness concealed all of his face except for his glowing yellow eyes. The leader of the Lawkeepers' Brigade was a Wisemon.
"So, we have a new recruit, right?" asked Wisemon.
"Yeah, that's right," replied Beelzemon. "I'm getting sick of the Beast-types. They've been destroying my pride and joy, my bike, and no one gets away with that! I'm here to fight those mongrels right here, right now!"
"You're an eager recruit now, are you?" commented Wisemon. "Let's see how much we can trust you. I have a little job that needs to be done. There is a Beast Digimon, Kongoumon, who lives in the Autumn Leaf Fair. He is a weapon smith who has been supplying the enemy with weapons. Find him and 'persuade' him to stop the flow of weapons. I'd prefer it if you could stop the flow permanently."
Beelzemon read an information packet Wisemon provided for him. "Cool, my first mission! I won't disappoint you, Wisemon. Kongoumon won't be making any more weapons again."
The drifter made his way westward with the Trailmon system and disembarked at the Autumn Leaf Fair. Beelzemon walked down the aisles of stores and mercantile stands, many of which were being rebuilt after being destroyed by an Aquilamon's attack and subsequent riots. He searched for Kongoumon's store and found a building constructed with blue bricks. The sign above the door read "Kongoumon's Weapon Smithy."
As the drifter entered, he spotted a golden, beetle-like creature that walked on two legs at the counter. Beelzemon identified this Digimon as his target, Kongoumon. The storekeeper wore a rose-coloured bead necklace like those worn by Japanese priests. Around his waist was a cloth band that held up a white loin cloth with gold edges. On this loin cloth was a holy scripture written in golden Chinese characters. Beelzemon looked around to analyze the layout of the shop while pretending to be a customer browsing the store.
"Can I help you?" asked Kongoumon.
"Yeah, I'd like to buy some ammunition for my guns," replied Beelzemon as he placed them on the counter.
"Oh, Berenja handguns! One moment please..." Kongoumon ducked under the counter and pulled out a box of bullets. "That will be a hundred bytes please."
Beelzemon paid the storekeeper and went on his way. Little did Kongoumon know that his customer would come back later and use his bullets against him. Night fell on the Autumn Leaf Fair and Beelzemon made his move. The drifter snuck through the darkened town streets and eventually returned to Kongoumon's store. The shopkeeper had sealed his store's entrance with a door that looked like a set of prison bars.
Beelzemon screwed a silencer onto his handguns and shot the lock. With it damaged, it was easy for him to grab it and tear it off the door. Beelzemon opened the door and snuck his way towards Kongoumon's bedroom. The weapon smith was snoring away blissfully unaware of the intruder within his store. Seemingly by chance, one of his display stands fell onto the ground, waking the weapon smith up.
Kongoumon bolted upright noticed Beelzemon entering his room. "Huh what are you..."
Two high pitched finger snaps rang through the room as Beelzemon responded with two bullets to Kongoumon's forehead. The golden beetle groaned as his Fractal Code became visible and he reverted into an egg. Beelzemon greedily devoured the precious data and licked his lips gleefully. The egg hovered in midair before vanishing on its way back to the Village of Beginnings. With his mission successful, Beelzemon fled into the night.
He returned back to his boss, Wisemon, to report the good news. "With him out of the way, the Beast Digimon won't be getting anymore weapons to fight us. Great job!"
Beelzemon continued to do missions for Wisemon and the Lawkeepers' Brigade, striking out against Beast Digimon targets and assets. The drifter rose through the ranks quickly until he joined the very elite of the Lawkeepers. These members were the ones who made the most vital decisions in their war against the Beast-types. A new threat had been brewing that worried the Lawkeepers; the Beast-types had developed a similar organisation of their own. The Lawkeepers had many run-ins with this group, the Bestial Nations.
The Lawkeepers' influence began to spread further and further across the Light Continent, eventually expanding into the Fire Continent in the south. They eventually captured Ophanimon's castle with ease and placed the Beast-type Nefertimon in prison. The Lawkeepers began to reinforce the castle for use as their new headquarters. The leader of the operation, Beelzemon, sent word telling Wisemon to move into the castle. A Trailmon pulled into the nearby station and the Lawkeepers' leader disembarked.
Suddenly, a bang rang out through the air and Wisemon crumpled onto the ground and dissolved into Fractal Code! "Sniper!" cried a Human Digimon guard.
Two shots rang out and two more of the Lawkeepers' brass fell. The guards turned their attention to a mechanical Digimon hiding behind a bush some distance away. It had a thin, white, mechanical chassis and a mass of metal cables which functioned as its legs. Its head was brown and elongated like the seat of a bicycle. It had four metal cables for arms, of which two were linked to a large rifle and one was linked to a weird handgun from an old sci-fi movie. The Human Digimon identified this Digimon as an Ebemon.
The Human Digimon began to pelt the bush with their firepower. The bangs and explosions drowned out all other sounds. Ebemon immediately fled the area since his job was done. Some of the shots struck his Chrome Digizoid chassis, resulting sparks but no permanent harm. As he ran, he looked back to see that Beelzemon was in hot pursuit. The drifter rained bullets to stop the assassin, eventually severing one of his leg cables.
"End of the line, bub!" said Beelzemon as he put a bullet through Ebemon's head. The drifter immediately devoured the assassin's data.
Flame Wizardmon flew in using his staff as a witch's broomstick. "You killed him! Now how will we find out who sent him?"
In the back of his mind, Beelzemon thought it was odd for a non-Human, non-Beast Digimon to kill his leader. After taking in Ebemon's data, he knew the truth. "Don't worry about it. I absorbed his data, as well as his memories. It was the Bestial Nations that sent him!"
"GRRRRRR!" growled Flame Wizardmon. Indeed, that was all that it took to incite the fury of the Lawkeepers. This was the last straw for them.
Takuya and Zoe returned to the Rose Morning Star to inform Cherubimon of their discovery. "Cherubimon, these fragments came from the Mystimon we fought at Wood City," reported Takuya as he handed the metal shards.
Cherubimon took the metal fragments and immediately felt them pulsing with evil power. "I can sense great evil coming from these pieces of metal. Perhaps now we can find out more about the massacres. Well done, Warriors! This clue gives me hope that we'll solve the mystery. We'll need it; the situation continues to degenerate as the days go by."
"What happened?" asked Zoe.
"Both the Beast-types and the Human-types have formed militias to fight each other. They are known as the Bestial Nations and the Lawkeepers' Brigade respectively. The Beast Digimon will not listen to me any longer. Only my most loyal followers will still obey me. The two groups have already clashed on several occasions," replied Cherubimon.
"You're right, it is getting very bad," commented Zoe.
"That's not all. I just got word that an agent of the Bestial Nations has assassinated the leader of the Lawkeepers. The Lawkeepers new leader, a Beelzemon, has taken over and has sworn revenge for the killing," informed Cherubimon.
"Oh great..." commented Takuya.
"There's more. Before the assassination, the Lawkeepers had taken over Ophanimon's castle for use as their base. They are holding Nefertimon hostage in her own castle."
"What?" asked Takuya out of shock. "We have to save her!"
"I understand, but don't go yet," advised the Protector of Knowledge. "You will need the help of the other Warriors to break into the castle and rescue Nefertimon. I will call them back to my tower."
Cherubimon concentrated momentarily and sent his message to the other Warriors. The assembly waited until everyone returned to the Rose Morning Star. The first to come were the Warriors of Water, Wood, Metal, the Pokemon trainers, Bokomon, and Neemon. The next to come was Koichi, who brought a special person to meet Takuya. The Warrior of Fire laid eyes on his brother, Shinya, and was shocked.
"Shinya?" asked the Warrior of Fire. "You're here too?"
"Uh huh!" replied Shinya. "I was worried about you, Takuya. Mom and dad are worried sick back home. They thought you had been kidnapped and the police are out looking for you."
"It hurts me to hear that, but I can't go back, not yet," admitted Takuya. "There's too much that I still need to do. How did you get here?"
"I heard this voice ask me if I wanted to find you. I said 'yes' and it told me to go on the elevator at Shibuya station.
"Ahem, that was me," informed Cherubimon.
Shinya listened to Cherubimon speak and nodded in understanding. "After that, I'm on a Trailmon that took me to Sun Village. These dragons attacked the village and Koichi came in and gave me Spirits."
"Shinya is the Legendary Warrior of Earth," announced Koichi. To demonstrate, Shinya held up his D-Tector, which displayed the Kanji of Earth in orange light on the screen.
"Now that you're on of us, Shinya, you can't leave yet either," informed Takuya. "The Digital World is a mess now. As Legendary Warriors, it's our duty to fix it."
"Hey, don't worry about it Takuya, Koichi explained everything," said Shinya, who then sighed. "I just wish I didn't have to worry mom and dad like that..."
"Yeah, my parents must be worried sick about me," lamented Zoe. "They must think I've been kidnapped by some pervert. I want to go home, but I can't. I have too much to do."
The last to come were the Warriors of Light, Thunder, and Ice. After Shinya's introduction to the remaining Warriors, Cherubimon began his briefing on the situation in the Digital World. He began with Takuya's discovery of a clue to the mystery of the massacres. The Warrior of Fire had found fragments from a black metal arm band worn by each of the Mystimon. Cherubimon didn't know what they were, but promised to analyze them for clues.
The next item on the agenda was the political break up of the Digital World. All out warfare was beginning between Human and Beast-types. After several attacks, each side has formed militia groups to fight against the other. They were the Human-type Lawkeepers' Brigade, and the Beast-type Bestial Nations. The Lawkeepers controlled the north-eastern Light Continent and the Fire Continent just south of that. The Bestial Nations controlled the north-western Wood Continent and the Water Archipelago just to the southeast.
This left four other continents not under the control of either side. They were the central Wind Continent, the south-western Dark Continent, the south-eastern Metal Continent, and the Earth Continent on the edge of the world. The Wind Continent and the Earth Continent were disputed areas. Most of the fighting between the two occurred in these areas, especially the Wind Continent. Both groups were intent on capturing these territories and neither was about to give ground.
The remaining two continents were neutral zones safe from the Human-Beast conflicts. The Metal Continent was controlled by mechanical Digimon that weren't considered Human or Beast-types. Many refugees were fleeing here to escape the war. The second safe spot was, ironically, the Dark Continent. It was a relatively uncharted area of the Digital World and Cherubimon's home. The continents became allied with each other and beefed up security in light of the Human-Beast war.
Since Wind Continent was where Seraphimon's castle was located, it posed major problems. Sorcerymon was now caught in the middle of a battlefield. Both sides wanted to take Seraphimon's castle, but Sorcerymon's forces had managed to repel them so far. However, the constant attacks were wearing down the castle's defenders bit by bit. It wouldn't be long before the fighting spilled onto the castle grounds. Thus, the Warriors' first mission was to help Sorcerymon evacuate his troops and bring them to the Rose Morning Star.
Their second mission was to free Nefertimon from imprisonment within her own castle. The Lawkeepers had occupied Ophanimon's castle and were converting it into their chief stronghold. Cherubimon had heard that she was being held in the dungeon. The Lawkeepers were torturing her for simply being a Beast-type, so rescuing her was a priority. The Warriors were to get her to the safety of Steel Town as soon as possible. Cherubimon continued onto attack plans before dividing the groups up for their missions.
Shinya, Ophanimon's Warriors, Bokomon, and Neemon travelled to Ophanimon's castle in Worm the Trailmon. Some distance to the castle, they ordered Worm to stop and let them off. Their plan called for Tommy to remain in Worm. Once the others rescued Nefertimon, they'll send Zoe to bring her to safety while the remaining Warriors ran interference. Worm would then go the rest of the way to the station where Tommy and Zoe would clear the guards for the others to escape.
The Warriors made their way to Ophanimon's castle on foot. The sky was dark and the moons were bright and full. The Warriors could see several Human-type Digimon lurking on the ramparts of the castle. They snuck near the wall without the Human Digimon noticing and Grumblemon began to tunnel into the ground. As they delved deeper, they could here the sound of electrical crackling followed by a female screaming in pain.
The Warriors eventually ran into a stone wall and could hear the screams becoming increasingly louder. "She's behind this wall!" whispered Grumblemon.
"Okay guys, get ready. We're going to bust in and jump whoever's on the other side," narrated Agunimon.
The Warriors prepared whatever weapons they had for the coming fight. Grumblemon smashed through the wall surprising the torturer on the other side. The Warrior of Earth immediately drove his hammer into the head of the torturer, a Wizardmon, who crumbled into a Fractal Code and vanished as an egg. Grumblemon tore open the metal bands that kept Nefertimon attached to a wooden table.
"Kazemon, get her out of here. Beetlemon, go with her!" commanded Lobomon.
Kazemon picked up Ophanimon's follower and rushed her into the tunnel with Beetlemon. Guards came rushing in to see what the commotion was all about. Agunimon, Lobomon, and Grumblemon charged onto the scene to cut them off. Lobomon began the battle by gunning down an Apemon guard with a blue bolt from his Howling Laser gun. Agunimon flattened a second Apemon with a flurry of flaming punches. The rapid ringing of an alarm bell filled the air.
"Okay guys, we got what we came for. Let's get out of here!" cried Grumblemon.
As Agunimon fled into the hole, he ripped the table off the ground. After blocking the cell door with it, the Warrior of Fire set it ablaze with his flames. "That should keep them from following us."
The Warriors emerged from the hole to hear the sound of the alarm still ringing throughout the castle. Kazemon was long gone and Beetlemon hang back to delay the Lawkeeper guards. The Warrior of Thunder popped a Wizardmon in the kisser with an electrically enhanced punch; the Thunder Fist. He promptly knocked a Devimon, a devil-like Digimon in black, off the ramparts by flooding his body with the immense electricity of a Lighting Blitz.
The four Warriors made a run for the Trailmon station as the Human Digimon fired at them. The Human Digimon began to give pursuit. The Warriors scrambled for the station just as Worm pulled in. The guards moved to block the Warriors' entrance only to have Kazemon and Chakkumon blindside them from behind. The Warriors dashed into the station with a horde of murderous Human Digimon hot on their trail.
"Hurry! Get in!" cried Kazemon.
The Warriors piled into Worm's cabin as Chakkumon fired snowballs at the marauding horde to slow them down. "Worm, get us out of here on the double!" cried Bokomon.
As Worm zoomed out the station, the Human Digimon fired on him. In response, the Warriors returned fire, downing a few of the Human Digimon before Worm was out of range. "Whew, that was a close one!" remarked Tommy after he reverted from Chakkumon.
"Are you okay?" Neemon asked Nefertimon. "You don't look too good."
Indeed, Nefertimon still looked very weak from her experience in the dungeon. "You nit!" cried Bokomon. "They've been shocking her with electricity and then we rushed her out of there so suddenly. Of course she's not okay!"
"Well, they won't be shocking her any more," noted Koji.
"Yeah, thank goodness we got her out when we did," agreed Zoe.
Meanwhile, the other group was about to make their own daring getaway. Koichi, Max, May, Misty, and the Pokemon trainers made their way to Seraphimon's castle in Angler. As they travelled through the Wind Continent, they could hear explosions and the occasional bout of gunfire. The Human and Beast-types were fighting each other in various skirmishes scattered around the land. It was during this trip that Misty and May decided to do something they had wanted done for awhile.
"Um, Ash?" asked Misty.
"Yeah?" asked Ash in return.
"I've been thinking, when I use my Spirits to fight, I can't control my Pokemon at the same time," admitted Misty. "I think you should borrow my Pokemon until all this is over."
"Oh I see, Misty," replied Ash. "My team has been a little short ever since I began my journey in Hoenn. I'd love to have your Pokemon to help me out."
"Thanks Ash, I knew you would say yes!"
Misty immediately released all of her Pokemon. Her stable of Pokemon was a motley crew of monsters, mostly of the Water type. She had a green frog with a bean-shaped body, a starfish with a jewel in its centre, a bright yellow duck, a goldfish, and a baby Pokemon still in its egg shell. They were Politoed, Staryu, Psyduck, Goldeen, and Togepi. Upon leaving his Pokeball, Politoed began to dance and clap his hands joyfully.
"Okay guys, my friend Ash will be your new trainer for awhile," lectured Misty. "Whatever he tells you to do, you do it, okay?"
"Politoed! (Okay!)" replied Politoed as he clapped his hands and danced. The other Pokemon obeyed Misty's commands.
"Good!" said Misty as he handed Ash his Pokeballs. "Okay Ash, take good care of my Pokemon."
"Don't worry, they're in good hands!" assured Ash as he pocketed Misty's Pokeballs.
"Say, Brock could you take care of my Pokemon for me?" asked May.
"Sure," replied Brock. "What are friends for?"
May released her Pokemon and out came her only two Pokemon, Torchic and Wurmple. Torchic was a small, but cute chick with fiery orange and yellow feathers. On the other hand, Wurmple was a red caterpillar with a white underside. The two Pokemon chanted their names happily upon leaving their Pokeballs. May told them about Brock before she handed the Pokeballs over to him. Like Misty, May was a Legendary Warrior of Wood and would be physically involved in fights. In such a situation, she couldn't give commands and concentrate on battling at the same time.
Eventually, the group reached Forest Terminal at the base of Seraphimon's castle. The Warriors stepped out of Angler and made their way to the castle. On the way, patrolling guards stopped and interrogated them. After sorting out the security issues, the group was eventually led deeper into the castle. They saw several guards at the palace, most of which were Human-type Digimon. They eventually met Sorcerymon himself, a Wizardmon look-alike who wore icy white and blue robes.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Sorcerymon
Attributes: Vaccine, Champion Level, Ice Type
This magic using Digimon is the ever loyal servant of Seraphimon, the Keeper of Laws. He is a Digimon well versed in the use of magic, specializing spells of water, ice, and positive energy.
Special Abilities/Traits:
Flight, magic using
Crystal Cloud (Ice) - Sorcerymon knows a spell that can create clouds of icy mist that freeze their victims solid.
Aquarius Fill (Water) - This spell produces a jet of pressurized water which can smash a hole into a wall of solid concrete.
"Warriors, I'm so glad to see you!" greeted Sorcerymon.
"Yeah, we are glad you are in good health," said Koichi. "Cherubimon sent us. He wants us to help you evacuate the castle."
"Thanks," said Sorcerymon. "The situation here is grim. Our castle is being hammered day and night by Human and Beast Digimon raids. We have a plan to escape, but we need you to help us to pull it off."
The plan called for the defenders to retreat from the castle in waves. At the moment, the castle defenders were divided into two groups. One was outside the castle on patrol for attacks by the Lawkeepers and Bestial Nations. The other was guarding the castle itself and protecting Sorcerymon. The Warriors would escort the patrollers into the castle, while the defenders protected them until a Trailmon, Kettle, ferried them to safety through underwater tunnels.
The next step would be to retreat Sorcerymon and the castle guards. Once the Warriors fell back to the castle, they'd have to assist in defending it while the others escaped. They would then fall back to the Trailmon and escape with the others. During these evacuations, there was a great risk of being attacked by Human Digimon, Beast Digimon, or even both. The Warriors were there simply to provide cover while the groups moved.
The Warriors Spirit Evolved to their Human Spirits and split up to search for the patrolling Digimon. Ranamon eventually found a lookout tower in the middle of the plains. It was a simple stone tower with glass windows. A band of Angemon, angel-like Digimon, occupied the tower and looked out from all over the vast grasslands. She entered the tower and told the news to the leading Angemon. The Angemon immediately began their evacuation.
The Angemon squad flew over a forest when a fireball burst out of the forest and knocked one of their members out of the air. "There!" cried the squad captain, pointing to a Human-type commando hiding in the trees.
Being a Human-type, the Digimon appropriately had a body like that of a human being. However, his muscular body was completely engulfed in blazing red flames. He had a pair of pale blue eyes and a mouth that looked like it was sewn shut by threads. This Digimon was known as a Meramon, a creature made completely of flame. The Meramon threw a second fireball, but the Angemon were expecting it and dodged.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Meramon
Attributes: Data, Champion Level, Fire Type
These fiery Digimon are known for quick tempers and rash judgements. These fearsome Digimon have been known to start enormous fires as a result of their fighting.
Special Abilities/Traits:
Special defence: flaming body
Magma Blast (Fire) - Meramon can fling giant fireballs at enemies. These fireballs actually look like meteors when examined more closely.
"Ranamon and I will handle this," stated the Angemon captain. "The rest of you, get the wounded man back to the castle immediately."
"Yes sir!" replied the other Angemon.
The Angemon helped their comrade to his feet and fled the scene. Ranamon and the captain immediately prepared themselves for battle with the Meramon. The fiery Digimon made the first move by flinging a Magma Blast each at his foes. The Warrior of Water dodged the one meant for her, and Angemon did the same for his. However, the one intended for Ranamon struck a tree and ignited a fire which began to spread.
Fearing the start of an uncontrollable forest fire, the Warrior of Water immediately created a cloud which began to rain water on the flames. Angemon aimed a powerful positive energy beam at Meramon, who took the hit full force in the chest. Ranamon produced another cloud which dropped Draining Rain on the Meramon, killing him. The Meramon regressed into an egg before flying away to the Village of Beginnings.
"Let's go! There may be more of them!" cried Ranamon before she dashed back to the castle with Captain Angemon in tow.
As the two Digimon ran back, they could hear explosions and the sound of metal clanging against each other. The sounds seemed to grow more and more frequent as time went on. As they reached the castle, Arbormon was already entering with a band of Wizardmon. The area around the castle had erupted into anarchy as Human and Beast-types began fighting each other. So far, they were too preoccupied with each other to worry about the castle.
Once Arbormon, Ranamon, and the patrollers passed the castle's front door, the guards sealed it off behind them. "Arbormon!" called Lowemon. "Bring them to the basement! Hurry!"
Arbormon rushed the Wizardmon squad and Captain Angemon to the castle's basement. As they made their way down, they could hear the distant sound of booms and metal clanging against each other. An unknown blast hit the castle, shaking it to its very foundation and causing some pebbles to drop from the roof of a stone stairwell. The Digimon rushed into the cabin of a yellow Trailmon that resembled an elongated tea kettle.
The Trailmon, Kettle, had a cabin that was very packed. Captain Angemon and the Wizardmon crowded in. "Move it Kettle! We've got more people coming!" cried Arbormon.
Back at the castle's ramparts and towers, the defenders and the Legendary Warriors were repelling the Human-Beast invaders. In the castle's airspace, a trio of female defenders confronted a gigantic orange flaming bird. The three defenders all had white, grey-tipped feathers and eagle heads. These Digimon wore blue uniforms of a squire with golden markings and golden gloves. These Digimon, the Skyemon were not about to allow the Birdramon to invade their castle.
Birdramon immediately released a volley of flaming bolts known as the "Meteor Wing." The flaming bolts knocked two of the Skyemon out of the air, dashing them into the triangular rooftops of the castle. Ash released his Taillow and immediately ordered a Quick Attack. The hit surprised the Birdramon and sent her hurtling into one of the castle's towers. The tower's top shattered and the bricks tumbled onto the ground underneath.
In another part of the castle, Brendan and Brock fought from the windows of their tower. The battle outside was pure pandemonium as the Lawkeepers and Bestial Nations exchanged fire endlessly with each other and the castle's defenders. Brendan's Alakazam fired Psychic blasts at the invaders from the window. The PSI Pokemon managed to drop a Human Digimon and two Beast Digimon before a blast of ice came his way.
Alakazam hid behind the walls for safety. "They're entering our tower!" cried Brock as his Machamp flattened a horde of Beast Digimon with a flurry of punches.
"We have to get out. It's now or never!" replied Brendan.
Machamp and Alakazam fought their way down the stairs of their tower. A powerful blast struck the top of the tower, triggering a shake that nearly floored the two trainers. A squad of Beast Digimon blocked their way, to which Machamp responded by pummelling them with punches. Alakazam telekinetically lifted others and tossed them aside like dolls. The two trainers fought through several enemy troops to make their way to the throne room.
The castle's defenders had also begun their retreat to the throne room, after hearing of Kettle's return. It was the throne room that held the passageway to Kettle. The fighting had reached even this place with Human and Beast-type marauders entering to disrupt the escape. Lowemon crossed weapons with a Knightmon who had entered the area. Taking advantage of the Knightmon's distraction, Ranamon poured Draining Rain on him.
The Knightmon groaned in pain as the water crushed his head. This was the break Lowemon needed to drive his opponent's weapon away. After charging negative energy, the Warrior of Darkness blasted his foe away with a Shadow Meteor. Mercurymon blocked a hostile Etemon's kick and pushed him back into an advancing black, dog-like Digimon known as a Dobermon. Being a Beast-type, the Dobermon took great offence and immediately bit the Etemon.
Sorcerymon peeked into the throne room. "Warriors, everyone is aboard Kettle. Get out now!"
The Warriors and Pokemon trainers immediately began to retreat into the passageway with Lowemon bring up the rear. A small violet rabbit Digimon known as a Turuiemon closed in from behind and locked weapons with Lowemon midway on the stairs. The Warrior of Darkness smashed his Shadow Lance into the rabbit's face, knocking her onto her back. Another Turuiemon replaced the first and fought with Lowemon as he backed down the stairs.
The others had reached safety. "Get on, Lowemon! You're the only one left!" cried Ash.
"Go ahead without me! I'm going to seal the way so no one can follow us!" replied Lowemon.
"But..."
"No 'buts!' I'll follow you when I'm done!"
Kettle began to move away, leaving Lowemon behind to fight the advancing Turuiemon. The Warrior of Darkness bashed his current opponent into the ground and Slide Evolved into Jager Lowemon. He ran back into passageway and pelted it with Ebony Blasts. The negative energy bolts collapsed the roof onto the heads of the Beast Digimon, burying them alive. This act effectively sealed off the passageway so no one could travel through it.
The Warrior of Darkness re-entered Kettle's tunnel and sprinted after the Trailmon at top speed. The others noticed him coming. "There he is now!" cried Misty.
"Help him on!" ordered Max.
Jager Lowemon pounced onto the rear guard rail and latched on. At that instant the Warrior of Darkness reverted to human form. The others grabbed his body and dragged him into the cabin. "Sorry about worrying you guys, but I had to close off the passageway. If they followed us, there would be big trouble," said Koichi.
"Hey, think nothing of it," dismissed Max. "That was a very smart move. We can just sit back and enjoy the ride. We're home free!"
Suddenly, May's Pokeball opened and displayed a ghostly holographic image of Cherubimon. "Warriors, I have discovered new information about the ring Takuya gave to me."
"What is it?" asked Brock.
"My tests show that these rings cause whoever wears them to be possessed by evil spirits. Once possessed, a Digimon becomes obedient to the ring's master," informed Cherubimon.
This revelation sent shockwaves through the cabin. "Pika!" gasped Pikachu.
"So, does this mean that those Digimon that killed the other Digimon were being controlled by someone else?" asked Koichi.
"So far, I only know that this is true for Wood City because Takuya and Zoe were there. I wouldn't be surprised if it was also true for the other massacres," replied Cherubimon.
"Who would do such a thing?" asked May.
"I don't know," replied Cherubimon. "If I'm right, then they got what they wanted; to make the Human and Beast-types blame each other and start fighting."